Skopje police confirmed today that the body of a man that was found near the village of Nerezi on Thursday is that of Goran Atanasovski (35).

Goran was reported missing on Wednesday, after he left a shopping mall on the foothills of Mt. Vodno. The body was found in a village on Mt. Vodno, with his vehicle parked on the road, and the body in a hard to reach area near-by. His friends who were looking for him found the body late in the evening. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of death.

Atanasovski’s disappearance worried the citizens of Skopje, given the series of incidents in the past months. Several men aged 26 to 64 have been reported missing and a nurse and mother was found dead in the Vardar river after a search of several days. A 29 year old woman was also found dead in the village of Volkovo on Friday.

In absence of effective investigation, widespread speculations have developed over the possible reasons for these disappearances, to the point that the Interior Ministry was forced to officially deny that there is an organ theft ring operating in the capital. Less than a month ago a child kidnapping scare gripped the Shuto Orizari (Shutka) neighborhood, prompting citizens to attack the passengers of an unmarked car who turned out to be police officers.